The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a planned traffic safety checkpoint Saturday May 24th, 2014, between 11:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. at the intersection of Alabama Highway 25 and Bear Creek Road.This area has a history of serious motor vehicle accidents, some of them with fatalities, during the spring season and the goal of this checkpoint is to raise awareness and safety.

All deputies at these safety checkpoints will be in uniform, with reflective and plainly visible traffic vests.All Sheriff’s Office vehicles will be plainly marked as law enforcement vehicles. The exact locations will be established in the area to maximize the safety of the public and deputies alike. Motorists are encouraged to drive with caution in these areas and at these times and follow the directions of the deputies present.

Notice of Planned Traffic Safety Checkpoints 2014-05-20

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a planned traffic safety checkpoint Sunday May 25th, 2014, between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the intersection of Alabama Highway 25 and Bear Creek Road.This area has a history of serious motor vehicle accidents, some of them with fatalities, during the spring season and the goal of this checkpoint is to raise awareness and safety.

All deputies at these safety checkpoints will be in uniform, with reflective and plainly visible traffic vests.All Sheriff’s Office vehicles will be plainly marked as law enforcement vehicles. The exact locations will be established in the area to maximize the safety of the public and deputies alike. Motorists are encouraged to drive with caution in these areas and at these times and follow the directions of the deputies present.

Notice of Planned Traffic Safety Checkpoints 2014-05-20

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting a planned traffic safety checkpoint Sunday May 25th, 2014, between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the intersection of Alabama Highway 25 and Dunnavanat Valley Road.This area has a history of serious motor vehicle accidents, some of them with fatalities, during the spring season and the goal of this checkpoint is to raise awareness and safety.

All deputies at these safety checkpoints will be in uniform, with reflective and plainly visible traffic vests.All Sheriff’s Office vehicles will be plainly marked as law enforcement vehicles. The exact locations will be established in the area to maximize the safety of the public and deputies alike. Motorists are encouraged to drive with caution in these areas and at these times and follow the directions of the deputies present.

School Teacher, Donald Ray Teague, arrested 2014-05-15(COLUMBIANA, AL) On Tuesday May 13, 2014, a Shelby County Grand Jury indicted Donald Ray Teague, a 57 year old male on the charge of "School employee having sexual contact with a student under the age of 19 years." The incident was reported to the school resource officer assigned to Chelsea High School on March 18, 2014. The investigation was then assigned to the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division. After a thorough investigation evidence was presented to a Grand Jury resulting in Teague’s indictment.
Teague is a school teacher at Chelsea High School currently residing in North Shelby County, and he remains in the Shelby County Jail with a $30,000 bond. The victim was a female student at the same school.
For information on the charges listed above, go to the link below and select Title13A Criminal Code, Chapter 6- Offenses Involving Danger to the Person and section 13A-6-82.
http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/coatoc.htm
Anyone with additional information about this crime is urged to contact the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office directly at (205)669-4181, through the Secret Witness line at (205)669-9116 or through our website at www.ShelbySO.com by clicking on the “Report Criminal Activity” link and choosing the “General Information” category.
To view a Shelby County jail inmate’s picture, their charges and bonds, go to www.ShelbySO.com and click on the “Inmate Listing” link at the bottom left. You may then type in the inmates last name and click on the “Search” button or, if you are unsure of the exact spelling, select the first letter of the last name to search for the inmate. An inmate’s information will not be available until he has been booked into the facility.

Roadway Open 2014-05-07At 6:34 p.m. on May 7, 2014, Shelby County Highway 47 has been re-opened. Motorists are advised to travel safely as work crews may remain in the area.

Roadway Closure 2014-05-07At 3:25 p.m. on May 7, 2014, Shelby County Highway 47 is closed between the intersections of Shelby County Highway 61 and Shelby County Highway 42 to all traffic in both directions due to a motor vehicle accident that ruptured a natural gas line. This area is in southern Shelby County. Shelby County Sheriff's deputies and local fire and rescue personnel are on the scene evacuating the area until the utility company has stopped the leak. This is an extremely hazardous situation and local motorists are advised to slow down, remain attentive for first responders in the roadway and avoid the area completely if possible.

Updated information will be posted as it becomes available.

Meth Lab Found 2014-05-07

On May 6, 2014, the Pelham Police Department responded to an anonymous tip at the Oak Mountain Lodge in Pelham. The officers arrested Matthew David Ivey on outstanding warrants from the Tuscaloosa Police Department. During the course of the investigation, officers discovered Ivey was a registered occupant at the hotel. When the officers entered the room, they discovered a thick haze throughout the room and what appeared to be a methamphetamine laboratory. The Pelham Police Department then contacted the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force (SCDETF) and other emergency agencies for assistance. Task Force investigators arrived on the scene, where they dismantled and removed the methamphetamine laboratory. This case is still under investigation for other possible suspects involved.

Matthew David Ivey, 29 years of age of Pelham, was charged and arrested for Unlawful Manufacture of Controlled Substance 1st, Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana 2nd, and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. His total bond is $267,000.

This is the sixth methamphetamine laboratory that the SCDETF has dismantled and removed this year and the second methamphetamine laboratory in Pelham this year. The SCDETF dismantled and removed 16 methamphetamine laboratories in 2013 and 20 in 2012.

Lt. Turner states, “It is important that law enforcement agencies share information on suspected drug dealers and users, because we find the drug subculture is very transient. The Drug Task Force shared information about a possible meth lab with the Pelham Police Department, who was able to identify Ivey.They conducted a thorough investigation which led them to the motel room. These so-called labs place everyone in the area at a greater risk of being exposed to and effected by the toxic and harmful gas they create.”

The SCDETF consists of law enforcement officers from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabaster Police Department, the Helena Police Department, the Pelham Police Department, and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. The SCDETF is funded by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the Shelby County Commission.

We encourage citizens to report illegal activity by phone (205) 670-0436 or by visiting http://dtf.shelbyal.com .Citizens may click on “Tips” there and submit their complaint.All information is anonymous.

For more information on the suspects, including their picture, go to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office’s website www.shelbyso.com and click on the inmate locator link.Please direct any questions regarding this press release to Lieutenant Kevin Turner of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force at (205) 670-0436.

Synthetic Drug Dealer Arrested- Again 2014-05-07

Over the past four months, the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force (SCDETF) worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) as a part of Project Synergy Phase II.This was a national collaborative effort targeting manufacturers and distributors of synthetic drugs, such as synthetic cannabinoids.

DEA, ALEA, ABC, and SCDETF investigators made multiple undercover purchases of illegal cannabinoids at the A&S Food Mart, Inc. located at 630 1st St. S. in Alabaster.These purchases were from the owner of A&S Food Mart, Inc., Ali Reza Samanifar. Samanifar, 56 years of age from Hoover, was arrested at his home in Hoover on May 7, 2014, for three counts of Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance. Investigators executed a search warrant of the A&S Food Mart, Inc. following Samanifar’s arrest.

Samanifar was taken to the Shelby County Jail. His total bond is $45,000. Samanifar was previously arrested on May 24, 2013, by the SCDETF for three counts of Unlawful Distribution of a Controlled Substance after the SCDETF conducted undercover buys of synthetic cannabinoids at his place of business.

Lt. Turner states, “Synthetic cannabinoids continue to be a growing concern for law enforcement because the manufacturers target teenagers and young adults. Synthetic cannabinoids are not a legal form of marijuana; they are a controlled substance that can cause side effects that range from hallucinations to loss of consciousness, and there have been instances in which overdose deaths have been reported. Although Project Synergy Phase II is complete, the Drug Task Force will continue to pursue manufacturers and distributors.”

The SCDETF consists of law enforcement officers from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabaster Police Department, the Helena Police Department, the Pelham Police Department, and the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. The SCDETF is funded by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and the Shelby County Commission.

The SCEDTF encourages citizens to report illegal activity by phone (205) 670-0436 or by visiting http://dtf.shelbyal.com .Citizens may click on “Tips” and submit their complaint.All information is anonymous.

For more information on the suspects, including their picture, go to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office’s website, www.shelbyso.comm , and click on the inmate locator link.Please direct any questions regarding this press release to Lieutenant Kevin Turner of the Shelby County Drug Enforcement Task Force at (205) 670-0436.

Sheriff’s Citizens Academy partners with Shelby County Law Enforcement Foundation to make contribution to the Sheriff’s Office Training Center 2014-05-02On Saturday May 3, 2014 at 12:00 p.m., alumni of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Citizens Academy, who have collectively formed the Shelby County Law Enforcement Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, will present the Sheriff’s Office Training Center with a gift of training equipment.
The presentation will be in conjunction with a firearms safety course involving the current Citizens Academy, which will begin at the Sheriff’s Office firing range at 9:30 a.m.
The Shelby County Law Enforcement Foundation’s primary mission is to “aid the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies in Shelby County with resources and tools required for the delivery of enhanced, high quality programs and services that promote public safety, community education and awareness, and emergency response.“
The training equipment presented will be “blue guns” or mock firearms used in various training scenarios for deputies and corrections officers. The approximate value of the gift presented by the Shelby County Law Enforcement Foundation is $1,500.
In response to the presentation Sheriff Curry said, “I am incredibly proud of the success of the Citizens Academy and the initiative and organization of the Shelby County Law Enforcement Foundation.”
Alumni of the Citizens Academy have the opportunity to participate in training events throughout the year to include tours of other law enforcement agencies such as the FBI headquarters in Birmingham.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy is conducted twice a year; in the spring and fall. The next class for the Citizens Academy is set to begin on 9/4/2014 for more details go to www.myshelbyso.com

6th Annual Cops on Top (today and tomorrow) 2014-04-25On April 25th and 26th, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, along with other area law enforcement officers, will participate in the 6th Annual "Cops on Top" fundraiser for Special Olympics. The event will be held at the Wal-Mart on Hwy 31 in Pelham. The event will be an all day event on both days. Deputies and officers will be raising money to give Alabama Special Olympic athletes the opportunity to complete in local, state, national, and international Special Olympics events. Law Enforcement Torch Run t-shirts will also be available for a $10 donation. This year's goal is to raise $10,000 in two days.
Law Enforcement Torch for Special Olympics is comprised of law enforcement officers from across the world. The organization attempts to raise funds and create awareness for the Special Olympics organization.
"We look forward to seeing the excitement and joy on the faces of the athletes every time that they compete. The money raised helps ensure that the athletes continue to have these opportunities. So many families across Shelby County are positively impacted by Special Olympics, and we are proud to be a part of this organization."